Fastener adapted for wire cage

ABSTRACT

In a nut and bolt fastener, an axially cut notch wide enough to accommodate a single wire therein of predetermined gauge, said notch extending from the end of an externally threaded bolt shank to the head thereof is made by cutting out the central longitudinal portion of the shank. The fastener can secure another wire or plate to be held to a support wire by inserting the support wire together with a second wire into the notch, or inserting the support wire only into the notch and passing the notched shank through an aperture of a plate, and screwing a wing nut towards them.

United States Patent FASTENER ADAPTED FOR WIRE CAGE 7 Claims, 17 DrawingFigs.

US. Cl. ..85/l, 85/32, 85/50; 339/272 Int. Cl Fl6b 35/02 Field ofSearch287/49; 24/125, 135; 339/2723 [56] References Cited UNITED STATESPATENTS 834,669 l0/l906 Fricke 339/2728 1,502,417 7/1924 Arnstein 24/135Primary Examiner- Edward C. Allen Attorney-Wenderoth, Lind & PonackABSTRACT: In a nut and bolt fastener, an axially cut notch wide enoughto accommodate a single wire therein of predetermined gauge, said notchextending from the end of an externally threaded bolt shank to the headthereof is made by cutting out the central longitudinal portion of theshank. The fastener can secure another wire or plate to be held to asupport wire by inserting the support wire together with a second wireinto the notch, or inserting the support wire only into the notch andpassing the notched shank through an aperture of a plate, and screwing awing nut towards them.

PATENTEUJAN 5197! 3552.257

sum 1 0r 3 FIG. 3

INVENTOR.

A fsush/ Tanabe A TTORALEYS PATENTEUJAN SIBYI 3,552,257

sum 2 OF 3 INVENTOR.

Afsush/ Tanabe BY WM,MW

A TTOEA/[ZYJ PATENTEDJAH-msn 3552-2577 sumaopg INVHNTOR.

A fsush/ Tanobe BY /m,mq M

A TTOEMEXS' FASTENER ADAPTED FOR WIRE CAGE This application is acontinuationin-part of my copending application Serial No. 641,312 filedMay 25, 1967, now abandoned.

The present invention relates to a novel fastener of nut and bolt type,and more particularly, to a novel and improved fastener adapted for awire cage.

The fastener of nut and bolt type of this invention has been inventedand developed in order to adapt itself particularly to wire cage use inthe field of poultry husbandry. However, the novel fastener of thisinvention is advantageous for use in every field of construction andassembly work, such as assembly of mechanical and electronic parts.

In general, the cage system for poultry production is widely employedbecause it has several advantages that the laying of eggs can bediscerned at a glance, poultry raising can be effected in athree-dimensional manner just as the floor system. In addition, in alarge-scale cage system for poultry production, a series of cages arecontinuously provided on a continuous rack construction, single row,split stairsteps, back to back or double deck, and besides, a wateringtrough together with a feed trough is installed in front of cages.

Recently, a vinyl trough has been introduced in the market in place ofan expensive stainless or galvanized steel one with a plastic liner. Thevinyl trough of one-piece construction without scams or joints, is easyto install, clean and maintain, and further with nothing to crack,break, and more importantly, nothing to rust or corrode. Thus, theproblem of corrosive metallic troughs has been solved by the one ofsynthetic resin.

Next, a problem arose as how to affix the vinyl trough to a single wireof which each cage is assembled. This is solved by supporting the troughby a wire holder and hooking the upper end of the wire holder on thesingle -'wire of cage. However, while this method of hooking appears tobe simple, as a matter of fact, it is rather difficult to install thewater trough to the cage to provide it in a precise horizontal orslightly inclined position, so as to facilitate the flow of water in thetrough. Further, it is necessary to adjust the level of the feed troughperiodically during the growth of poultry.

As is well known, a steel wire which constitutes a preferred cage has adiameter of about 2.5 3-mm. and is coated with a -zinc coating. Arelatively expensive stainless steel wire and an aluminum wire are alsoused. No matter what material the wire may be,-the diameter thereof foruse in cage making is in the range of 2.5 3 mm. described above,.henceit was inconvenient and impractical for the wire to serve as a stablesupport when considering the hanging a holder thereon to support atrough. A clip and the link now commonly employed have never been metwith satisfaction as a fastening means which secures something to asingle wire. This invention proposes to overcome the above disadvantagesand to provide a novel and improved fastening means adapted particularlyfor a singlewire of cage, said fastener being fabricated by cutting outan axial notch wide enough to accommodate a single wire therein from thecentral portion of bolt shank and'having preferably a wingnut to beengaged vide a novel fastener of nut and bolt type which is effectivefor supporting a single wire which constitutes a wire construction,

- such as wire cage.

It is another object of the inventionjto provide a novel fastener of nutand bolt type which is-adapted to secure a holder for a water trough aswell as a feed trough to a single wire of cage in a simple, safe",effective-and convenient manner.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a fastener of nutand bolt type which is effective for a fastener for a continuous lengthof electric cord at a plurality of points so as to facilitate anelectric wiring system.

It is an additional object of the invention to provide a novel fastenerof nut and bolt type which can secure an adjustable plate and the likewhich can be elevated according to the growth of chicken to a wire ofcage in front thereof in an easy and simple manner.

It is still an additional object of the invention to provide aconvenient fastener which can connect two ends of poultry netting andthe like.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it isbetter understood from the following description, which, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawing, discloses some preferredembodiments thereof.

Referring to the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a metallic or other material bolt of thisinvention, showing some of its relative dimensions;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a plastic bolt of thisinvention;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a plastic wingnut engageablewith the bolt of FIG. 3, showing a side view of a central, axiallyextended reenforcing rod;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a modified bolt, the shank of whichbeing cut into four portions by a cruciform slotway;

FIG. 5 shows a sectional view wherein two wires are clamped as by thebolt 1 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view in which a holder for supporting a water orfeed trough in front of the cage is secured to a wire thereof by thefastener of this invention;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of FIG. 6 taken along the line 7-7;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a modified wingnut made of synthetic resindifferent from the one of FIG 3 in that'the central rod can be separatedfrom the body of the wingnut with which it is associated;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a modified nut and bolt of synthetic resinin which a flexible synthetic resin covered electric cord is tightlysecured to a plate at three points, the section of the bolt being shownalong the line 9-9 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 10 is a side view of the bolt of FIG. 9 from which the nut and thecord are removed;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an electrified cord being tightlysecured on the plate by the fastener of FIGS. 9-10 of this invention;

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view showing how two crossed wiresare retained between apair of washers complementally cut out to receivethe four-cut cruciform slotted fastener of FIG. 4;

FIG. 13 is a composite end view of three similar or related fastenersrepresentative of different forms of plural cuts or slots made in theshank of the fastener as in substantially Y, T and L shape;

FIGS. 14 and 15 are cross-sectional detail views similar to FIG. 8, butshowing, respectively, different embodiments of the central rods of thewing part of the fastener combination;

FIG. 16 is a'view partially in side elevation and partially in sectionand related to FIG. 12, but showing a modified form of the fastener nutas assembled with the washers to clamp a pair of crossed wires; and

FIG. 17 is a detailed cross section taken substantially through thecenter of one of the modified washers of FIG. 16.

The fastener bolt of this invention may be made of two kinds ofmaterial, preferably metal or plastic, whereas the nut should be made ofonly plastic material, although it is understood that the bolt could bemade of plastic and the nut of metal. In some instances, the fastenerbolt of this invention can be made of ceramic material. Where useconditions are such that the metal tends to be corroded, the two (nutand bolt) should be made of dissimilar material.

In general, the diameter of wire which constitutes a cage is in therange of 2.5 3 mm. and the weight of troughs for water and feed isrelatively light, hence it has been found that the fastener made ofplastic material can meet the requirementof strength for poultry cage,although some of the plastic fasteners hitherto considered were deemedto be inferior to metal in strength.

'With the advance of manmade material, a polyacetal synthetic resin soldunder the trade name Delrin" or Duracon" is now available and called asa high strength material comparable to metal. It has been found that thefastener of this invention made of the above polyacetal synthetic resincan meet the requirement comparable to metal.

No matter how strong'the plastic material referred above may be,however, in orderto maintain a safety measure l have invented a centralrod to be attached within the plastic fastener of this invention may beillustrative only, not limited.

The fastener bolt of this invention may be made of metal, but in generalmetal has the disadvantage of corroding, whereas the synthetic resinmaterial advantageously will never corrode. Although the fastener may bemade of the above high strength polyacetal resin, it should be notedthat some safety measure should be taken in order to prevent it frombreaking by chance because it is considered to be inferior to metal instrength.

l'o'this end, the present invention provides the central rod 10 of FIG.3 within'a fastener nut or preferably a'wingnut in the mm: FIG., thisnut being rnade of synthetic resin. The provision of this central rod 1within the plastic wingnut'5 in FIG. 3 is one of the important featuresof the fastener of this invention. By the aide of the central rod I0,the single slotted plastic bolt of FIG. 2 can be tightly engaged withthe plastic wing nut 5 having the central rod inserted centrally withinthe slotted portion of plastic bolt in a safe manner.

The ,bolt shank of this fastener is made with an axially cut notch 3wide enough to accommodate asing'le wire therein extending from the endof an externally threaded shank to the head 4 thereof as clearly shownin FIGS.Il--2. If the bolt is made of plastic material as shown in FIG.2, it may happen that the plastic bolt shank is distorted or broken whentightly engaged with the plastic wingnut or with the metallic wingnut.

In addition to the central rod 10, the plastic bolt and nut fastener arecorrespondingly made a little bigger than the metallic fastener. i

The fastener of this invention comprises a known type single nut andbolt, but with the shank ofthe bolt being cut diametrically along thecentral axis thereof. The slot portion 3 is wide enough to'accomrnodatea single wire therein. In reference to the metallic bolt, it is entirelyof the same construction as the known one, except for an'enlarged baseportion 9, as shown in FIGS. 1-2. The shank of the bolt is externallythreaded substantially the full length less an amount adjacent to thehead equal to slightly less than the diameter of fine gauge wire to beused therewith, and having only a single axially extended medial slot ofpredetermined width to accommodate wire(s) of predetermined gauge. Theslot terminates in a radius corresponding essentially to that of thefine gauge wire to be used therein, and the slot terminates at a depthcoextensive with the full length of said shank, and preferably flushwith the underside of the bolt head, thereby facilitating positivefrictional gripping of the wire(s) between the enlarged undersurface ofthe bolt head and fastener nut clamping surface. The plastic wingnut isprovided with the central rod therein. Therefore, the construction ofthe fastener of nut and bolt type of this invention is very simple andeasily understandable. In more detail, it will be describedherein'below. i

FIG; 1 shows preferably a metallic bolt 1. It is understood that thelength of shank and the number of threads 2 canbe as to strengthen samebecause of the islotted shank. It is understood that'the bigger thediameter of wire'or rod, the'wider the notchbecomes. whenacon'stiuctio'n element, such as a big wire rope or a steel pipe, to :beinserted into the-notch of a bolt shank is employed, it isfiiriders'toodthat a pretty large, nut

and bolt should bepreferred. I I

FIG. 2 shows a plastic bolt of this invention which is different fromthe metallic bolt of FIG. I inthat'there is 'a'convex portion 9' aroundthe connection between head 4 and shank. This convex portion 9 isprovided in the plastic bolt so as to make it strong. Additionally, theaxial notch of plastic bolt flares a little toward the 'openingend. Asisknown, the flare notch has two advantages that it is easy to mold byinjection molding and his also convenient inactual use, preferably witha generally complementary formed axial projection on th e nut. w

FIG. 3 shows a plastic wingnut 5 of this invention wherein the nut isprovided with a closed end cover to which a central rod 10 is integrallyattached therein. The cover'serves to support the central rod l0.'Thelengthof the central rod 10 is preferred to be shorter than the depth ofthe nut 5 and of a length to correspond with apiedetermined gauge ofwire to be clamped.

FIG. 4 shows a modified 'bolt having the shank divided by intersectingslots dividing it into fourequal pottions, and is a modification ofsingle cut, divided shank bolt of this'inventi on. Based on thesimila'rida, a bolt with a three-cut portion arida .bolt' with anIs-form cut portion may be invented, evolved and rtion utilizedfsu'ch-asshownin FIG. l3.l"he use of the fourshank will be described hereinafter.v

'FIG. 5 shows a partial sectional view wherein two wires 12a and 12b areclamped by the bolt 1 such as of the type shown-in FIG. I and an-associated wingnut 5.'

'FIG. 6 shows how tosecur e a metallic holder 1-3 to a vertical wire 12of cage by the fastener of this invention. Anaperture 19 (see FIG. 7) isdrilled through an upper portior'iof the holder 13, and the aperture .19is large enough to pass the shank of 'bolt. The holder 13 has a curvedportion at the lower end to receive a wateror feed trough therein/ThisFIG. shows clearly that the fastener of this inveption can be used tosupport an article easily and quickly from any part required for thepoultry cage using} single wire as a-support.

In this FIG. 6, the imetallic holder 13 is shown as made of a narrowmetal piece, but it can be made-as of wire having a round eyelet or loop'19 made by bending it. When the apert ure 19 is made in the form of atriangle of square it enables the holder 13 to maintain its positionwithout shifting.

FIG. 6 shows the holder 13'in a vertical position, but the holder 13' ora narrow long piece of any material can be secured to a wire of cage ina horizontal position. The narrow long piece with no curved portion iscalled "adjustable piece. This piece has an aperture 19 as same as theholder 13. The narrow long piece can be secured to a wire in fronto fcage in a horizOntal direction at any desired height or level. Theadjustable narrow long plate is providdin front of cage, particularly,chick-breeder'. The height-or level of adjustable plate is controlledaccording to the growth of chick. The bigger the chick grows the higherthe adjustable plate is positioned. By the aide of this adjustable platepositioned in front of cage, many chickens can drink water and feed sideby side.

FIG. a shows a plastic wingnut similar to that aisle. 4, but a centralrod 21 is removably screwed through a cover 20 so that the rodZl can beremoved from the plastic jvin'gnut body. This is a modified embodimentof plastic nut witha view to facilitating to adjust a space between awire or cord and the top end of the rod 21. The cover 20 may beadhesively or otherwise affixedto the outer face of the'nut 5, or it maybe made removable as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 by means of an annular lip(FIG. 14) press fittedinto a complement-ll recess in the outer end ofthe nut body 5; or by a plurality of pin members 20b (FIG.

The central rod 21a in FIG. 15 is cylindrical or preferably taperedalong the greater part of the shank for cooperation in the slotway(s),with only the outermost end being threaded as shown.

FIG. 9 is a modified form of the fastener of this invention in which thecentral rod 10 is relatively short, and a bolt 22 has a medialprojection 23 within its slot 24. In FIG. 9, a section taken along theline 9-9 of FIG. 10, a flexible cord 16 is shown as it passes the top ofthe projection 23 and is tightly clamped at three points, viz., by theperiphery of the nut 5 and a shortened central rod 10a.

FIG. 11 shows how a flexible electrified cord 16 is tightly affixed onthe plate by the fastener of FIGS. 9 10.

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view in which two crossed wires orelectric cords or the like 12e and 12f are fastened by thefour-portioned, cross-slotted bolt in accordance with this inventionbetween a pair of washers 18a and 18b The cruciform type slotway dividesthe shank into four equal portions, as shown, when axially centered. Thewashers are provided with recesses complementally formed to receive thefour portions of the divided shank, and are further provided withcruciform'recesses centered thereon and of a depth slightly less thanthe radius of the small gauge wire with which it is associated. l4

FIG. 16 partially shows the modified form of FIG. 12, wherein the nut 5may also be provided with a more slender form of central axialprojection 25 of the same typeshown in FIGS. 3, 8, 14 or 15, and thewashers are provided with additional central recessed areas as moreclearly shown and described relative to FIG. 17 below.

While the four legs of the divided shank of the bolt will serve and bereenforced by the cooperation with and by the ribs 27 of the washers,the axial projection 25 is also desired in very small diameter screwswhere some of the four-way divided legs of the shank might otherwisetend to break off, if not centrally reenforced by the rod, responsive totightening action of the nut 5.

FIG. 17 shows in cross section a modified detail wherein the centralpart is further recessed (as partially shown in washer 18b of FIG. 12)in either one or both directions to receive the hump where one of thewires crosses the other.

Accordingly, it is apparent that the foregoing description presents animproved fastener combination which achieves the objects and providesthe various advantages set forth therein.

I claim:

1. A fastener assembly of the threaded bolt and nut type for clampingfine gauge wire characterized by and comprising in combination:

a. a bolt with a head of substantially larger cross sectional area thanthat of the shank diameter,'said bolt head having a substantially flatunder-surface;

b. the threaded shank of the bolt havingan axially extended generallycruciform slotway formed by intersecting slots of substantially equaldepth dividing the shank into a plurality of generally equal portions,and extending the full length of said shank and terminating flush withsaid undersurface of said bolt head, said slotway being of a widthcorresponding to the gauge of the wire with which it is to beassociated;

c. a pair of washers having apertures correspondingly centrallypositioned to receive the plural portions of the shank as defined bysaid cruciform slotway, each of said washers further having acorresponding generally cruciform recess substantially centered thereonand said recesses being of a depth corresponding to slightly less thanthe radius of the gauge with which it is to be associated, said washersassembled with the cruciform recesses facing each other; v d. saidgenerally cruciform recesses of said washers include deeper recessedportions in the area of intersection of the recesses defining thecruciform shaped slotway to facilitate better clamping of overlappingintersecting wires being gripped by said fastener; and

e. a fastening nut internally threaded to complementally cooperate withsaid threaded shank to clamp said washers together to grip togethernormally intersecting fine gauge wires therebetween.

2. A fastener assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein the nut is providedwith a centrally disposed, axially extended generally cylindricalprojection of a diameter slightly less than that of the gauge wire withwhich it is associated, and adapted to fit into thecentral recess of thecruciform slot way when the fastener is assembled to prevent collapse ofthe shank portions.

' 3. A fastener assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein the componentparts are fabricated of plastic, and the axial projection provided onthe nut is a separable part.

4. A fastener assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein the slot isprovided with outwardly tapering sidewalls; and said generallycylindrical axial projection on said nut is complementally tapered forcooperation with said tapered slot.

5. A fastener assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein the axialprojection and nut include complementally coacting means at the rearwardor outermost part of the nut and projection respectively to provideaxial adjustment of said axial projection.

6. A fastener assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein the nut and boltcomponent parts are fabricated of plastic and the said axial projectionof the nut is fabricated in a separable part having an uninterruptedperipheral surface, and being insertable from and engageable only withthe outermost end of the nut away from the head of the fastener bolt.

7. A fastener assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein the axialprojection is at least partially threaded at its outermost end away fromthe bolt head and has no other interruptions or extensions apart fromsaid threaded portion, and the nut associated therewith has a closedoutermost end provided with a complementally threaded aperture toadjustably receive the threaded portion of the axial projection therein.

1. A fastener assembly of the threaded bolt and nut type for clampingfine gauge wire characterized by and comprising in combination: a. abolt with a head of substantially larger cross sectional area than thatof the shank diameter, said bolt head having a substantially flatundersurface; b. the threaded shank of the bolt having an axiallyextended generally cruciform slotway formed by intersecting slots ofsubstantially equal depth dividing the shank into a plurality ofgenerally equal portions, and extending the full length of said shankand terminating flush with said undersurface of said bolt head, saidslotway being of a width corresponding to the gauge of the wire withwhich it is to be associated; c. a pair of washers having aperturescorrespondingly centrally positioned to receive the plural portions ofthe shank as defined by said cruciform slotway, each of said washersfurther having a corresponding generally cruciform recess substantiallycentered thereon and said recesses being of a depth corresponding toslightly less than the radius of the gauge with which it is to beassociated, said washers assembled with the cruciform recesses facingeach other; d. said generally cruciform recesses of said washers includedeeper recessed portions in the area of intersection of the recessesdefining the cruciform shaped slotway to facilitate better clamping ofoverlapping intersecting wires being gripped by said fastener; and e. afastening nut internally threaded to complementally cooperate with saidthreaded shank to clamp said washers together to grip together normallyintersecting fine gauge wires therebetween.
 2. A fastener assembly asdefined in claim 1 wherein the nut is provided with a centrallydisposed, axially extended generally cylindrical projection of adiameter slightly less than that of the gauge wire with which it isassociated, and adapted to fit into the central recess of the cruciformslot way when the fastener is assembled to prevent collapse of the shankportions.
 3. A fastener assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein thecomponent parts are fabricated of plastic, and the axial projectionprovided on the nut is a separable part.
 4. A fastener assembly asdefined in claim 2 wherein the slot is provided with outwardly taperingsidewalls; and said generally cylindrical axial projection on said nutis complementally tapered for cooperation with said tapered slot.
 5. Afastener assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein the axial projection andnut include complementally coacting means at the rearward or outermostpart of the nut and projection respectively to provide axial adjustmentof said axial projection.
 6. A fastener assembly as defined in claim 2wherein the nut and bolt component parts are fabricated of plastic andthe said axial projection of the nut is fabricated in a separable parthaving an uninterrupted peripheral surface, and being insertable fromand engageable only with the outermost end of the nut away from the headof the fastener bolt.
 7. A fastener assembly as defined in claim 2wherein the axial projection is at least partially threaded at itsoutermost end away from the bolt head and has no other interruptions orextensions apart from said threaded portion, and the nut associatedtherewith has a closed outermost end provided with a complementallythreaded aperture to adjustably receive the threaded portion of theaxial projection therein.